Hospital Visits
by EyeForAnEar
Summary: AU. Stuck in the hospital, Antonio was expecting bad food and pain, not to become friends with that Italian holding a huge teddy bear. No pairing, but it may seem like pre-romance depending on your perspective. Review and let me know if it's crap or not.


_A/N: I'm tired. Tests, presentations, expectations, insomnia, and writer's block for the stories I actually want to continue. Ladies and gentlemen, the perfect storm. I don't really count this as slash, but if you tilt your head 42 degrees to the left, you may see it differently. I got a complete mind block near the end, and it took a week or so before I figured out how to finish it. Can you tell where it happened?_

_By the way, I used Ancient Rome (Romulus) as Lovino's uncle, since I've seen him as a grandfather and father, but not yet an uncle._

_I pray this isn't complete crap; I can't tell off just by looking at the screen. Oh yeah, speaking of lousy stuff. Warning: swears; Antonio overreacting; manipulation of nurses for food and toys._

* * *

When Francis nudged Antonio and whispered to look at the _tr__è__s mignon_ boy in the room to their left, he wasn't sure exactly what emotion he felt first. The boy lay in the bed, dwarfed by monstrous pillows and a large but somehow sad-looking teddy bear by his side.

He looked sick; his skin was sallow, and thin arms were visible on top of the sheets. The only thing Antonio really wanted to see was hidden from view, the boy's face buried in a large book; photography.

Pity or sympathy, some force drew the Spaniard into the room. Careful not to bump his cast on the doorway, he smiled, and spoke loudly.

"Hola, I'm Antonio."

A twitch. Golden brown eyes peeked over the top of the book.

"What the hell do you want?"

Antonio paused for a moment. What did he want, from a boy he didn't even know? After a moment, he smiled wider.

"I want to be friends with you."

"… Shut the fuck up."

x

XxXxXx

x

Lovino's room was relatively empty, but there were some personal possessions Antonio noticed during his visits. There was an assortment of books piled on the bedside table, a few posters of bands he didn't know of, and several paper streamers hanging from the ceiling, like forgotten remnants of a past birthday party.

The teddy bear Antonio had first seen Lovino with always rested on the bed with the boy, slumped against his side.

The patient himself also always seemed slumped, somehow. Antonio wasn't sure how to describe it, but Lovino never seemed to get past his permanent state of frail, skinny, pale, and always in a bad mood. There were days when the boy was able to work up the strength to go outside and sit in the sun, or walk over to Antonio's room, but those days seldom happened. Antonio didn't mind, though, because Lovino's room was more comfortable than his own.

Antonio felt slightly jealous of Lovino; he wasn't allowed to decorate his room, since he would only be staying for three weeks or so, until he was fully healed.

Despite that, he wasn't sure he wanted to know why exactly Lovino was treated like his room belonged to him permanently. Antonio preferred to smile and spend his days with him.

x

XxXxXx

x

"Lovi. Lovi. I've got you something."

Antonio dropped into the chair next to Lovino's bed, grinning and putting his crutches to the side. Frowning, Lovino turned to look at the other. A quick glance towards Antonio's hands tucked inside his hoodie.

"What?"

Smiling excitedly, Antonio withdrew one hand, and held out a tomato. Watching Lovino's eyes widen, he lifted a finger to his lips, and whispered.

"Don't tell anyone. It's from one of the nurses downstairs. It was so funny; I asked her if she could give me something extra special, and she blushed really hard!"

He gently placed the fruit on the Italian's bedside table, careful not to bruise it. Looking towards his friend, he laughed in delight at Lovino's red face. Yesterday, the boy had told him about how much he wanted some sort of food that actually tasted fresh, rather than bland and slightly stale.

"Thanks, bastard."

Lovino reached over for the tomato, his long, tapered fingers grazing over the wood. The barest hint of a smile was on his face. Antonio couldn't resist speaking.

"Lovi, you look so cute and red. You look just like-"

The younger boy snapped his head around, the smile long gone.

"Don't you say it."

…

"A tomato."

…

"You're going to regret this."

x

XxXxXx

x

A cool breeze blew in from the window, and Antonio sighed in contentment. Turning to the left, he smiled at the sight of Lovino reading some book on art, his left arm encircling the enormous teddy bear.

"Lovino..."

The boy shifted, not moving his gaze from the book.

"Yeah?"

"Who gave you that bear?"

Antonio _immediately_ regretted his words when a pained expression came across his friend's face. A wave of guilt washed over him for making Lovino unhappy. He tried to backtrack hastily.

"I'm so sorry, Lovi. You don't have to tell me, it's not that impor-"

"My uncle."

Antonio fell silent, taking in the mournful and nostalgic look on Lovino's face.

"My parents died when I was four, so he became a sort of father figure. He took me and my brother to a fair, a long time ago. He insisted on winning one of those stall games. He did, eventually. He gave the stuffed cat to my brother, and I started crying, because I really wanted one too, so he bought the teddy bear off the vendor for me. He… he died three years ago."

Lovino went silent, and clutched the stuffed animal indiscreetly. Antonio decided to not ask Lovino about his brother, or the rest of his family, at least for today.

x

XxXxXx

x

Antonio really didn't know much about Lovino, even though they'd known each other for weeks.

Lovino knew that Antonio was in the hospital because he crashed his car, and that he had a broken leg and ribs, as well as a concussion. Plus some pretty nasty cuts on his neck and arms.

Antonio only knew that Lovino had been here longer than he had, and that it wasn't as simple as a few broken bones.

Lovino had heard everything about Antonio's best friends. He learned that Francis wanted to be a photographer so that he could make women smile and find undiscovered beauty in the world. He also knew that Gilbert was determined to buy his own car, because his little brother drove ridiculously slowly in an ancient hunk of metal for the sake of safety.

Antonio only knew what little about Lovino's parents and uncle that the question about the teddy bear had revealed, which wasn't enough to satisfy his curiosity. Apparently Lovino had a little brother, but that was the one thing Antonio was certain he would never know anything about. Whenever he tried to ask about what Lovino's brother was like, the boy wouldn't let him stay in his room, and would sulk for hours.

Lovino had listened to Antonio's descriptions of a calm, happy future, with the person he loved, and a small house somewhere in Europe.

Antonio could never tell what Lovino hoped for, other than to get out of the hospital, which was something the boy complained about daily. The books the boy read were too diverse to glean any idea about what Lovino wanted his future to be about: history, art, cooking, gardening, health sciences, languages, and so on.

Lovino knew Antonio.

Antonio wasn't able to say that in return.

x

XxXxXx

x

"Weirdo."

A dazzling smile flashed in reply.

"Yes, Lovi?"

A scowl.

"Don't call me that, bastard. Do you know when you're leaving this shitty place?"

Antonio paused, trying to remember his doctor's words.

"I think… in four days or less, if no setbacks happen."

"Hmm."

Lovino lifted himself off his pillows, and slowly, achingly slowly, pushed himself out of bed. Antonio was surprised; the last time he had seen Lovino walk around was a week earlier.

"What are you doing, Lovi?"

"Just shut up and come over here."

Lovino had walked over to the window in his room, and twisted it up. The Spaniard joined him at the ledge, smiling hesitantly. Lovino turned towards him.

"This may be the only chance we'll get to do this, so you'd better enjoy it, god dammit."

And with that, Lovino picked up a bottle from the ledge, uncapped it, and pulled out two bubble wands from the inside. This was extremely confusing for Antonio; this was the most child-like thing the Italian had ever done.

"I- Lovi, where did you get that?"

The boy smirked proudly.

"You're not the only one the nurses have a soft spot for."

x

XxXxXx

x

It felt wrong to smile that day, but Antonio didn't know what else to do.

"I'll miss you, Lovino. And don't worry, I'll keep visiting."

He saw the scowl on Lovino's face, but he also saw the sadness, as well as the exhaustion. His friend had gone through some difficult days recently, but Antonio wasn't able to see him during them; Lovino always ordered the nurses to keep the Spaniard out of his room on the bad days.

"Like I would want you to keep coming, bastard. Get out of this fucking hellhole and don't come back."

Antonio reached out a hand, and touched the other boy's messy hair. The boy's head was cool, and Antonio spread his fingers out, trying to lend some warmth.

"It'll only be a few days, maybe a week. Then I'll be back. I promise to bring over some tomatoes."

Lovino smiled briefly at the mention of their special food, but it faded too soon.

Antonio's lips were aching from smiling so hard, but he didn't want to look sad, because then Lovino might get sad, too. He lifted his hand from the boy's head, and slowly walked to the door.

"Wait, bastard."

Turning around, Antonio looked in surprise at the Italian, who had his teddy bear in one outstretched arm.

"Take it, for now. You had better bring it with you when you come, or else I swear I'll-"

Laughing in delight, Antonio leapt forward, and embraced Lovino.

"Don't worry, I won't forget."

He took the bear from the slightly trembling hand, before slipping out the door.

x

XxXxXx

x

Antonio turned down the hall, humming in anticipation. His leg's cast was finally off, and he reveled in the lightness and freedom it felt. Under one arm was the teddy bear, looking happier with an oversized green bow tied around its neck. His eyes gleamed with excitement as he found the familiar door number, and entered Lovino's room.

Only, Lovino wasn't there.

Antonio felt dread wash over him as he stared at the smoothed covers on the bed, and the startling lack of Lovino's posters and books, and anything else of his, really.

The only reasons rooms were emptied like that were if someone was discharged, or passed away. And the last time Antonio saw Lovino, he was most definitely not the picture of health.

He could feel his lungs tightening, and felt an ache in his still-healing ribs. He slammed his palm against the call button near the bed before he could start hyperventilating.

Lovino couldn't have… no.

Suddenly there was a nurse rushing into the room, asking him what was wrong, but all Antonio could focus on was the sudden lack of oxygen in the room. Which was strange, seeing as how he had always felt more energized after breathing in hospital air.

Antonio rushed out of the room, stumbling into people wheeling IV bags and clutching onto walkers. He needed to go outside, and if there wasn't enough air out there, well, then he'd just die himself.

All he could think of was how scared he'd felt, dangling by the seatbelt in Gilbert's car, trying to scream for help when he saw blood smeared over his friend's face (although, after the painkillers wore off and he could understand what everyone was crying about, he was told it was his own blood that had dripped onto Gilbert from a sizeable cut on Antonio's neck).

He had felt terrified, waking up in a damn uncomfortable bed, trying to keep himself from ripping the IV tube and catheter and god knows what other tubes out of his body.

Antonio could only think of how confused and freaked out he was, up to the moment when he met Lovino.

Lovino, the boy who loved tomatoes and pasta, but would declare bans on any food with potatoes.

The boy who never flinched or even looked up from his book when nurses jabbed needles into his arms.

The boy who seemed to waste away a little more every day, looking sicker and paler, while he retained his quick mind and crabby remarks.

And now Antonio had lost one of the most… _important_ people in his life.

By now he had reached the check-in area, and he was so close to reaching the double-doors, he didn't even see the person in front of him until he had bowled them over. A flurry of lightning-fast curses rung out, in more than one language.

Jumping up, he scrambled to apologize to… _Lovino_? He looked at the angry golden brown eyes.

"Lovi? You're not dead?"

The response was a painful kick to the shin.

x

XxXxXx

x

"We're so happy that Lovi is finally back at home with us. It's been too long, and he really doesn't like the hospital. When the doctors told us about a treatment he can try at home, we were really excited."

Antonio looked at the auburn haired boy sitting near him, smiling happily with an oddly vacant look in his eyes. They both sat in plastic chairs outside an examination room, where Lovino was being questioned by a doctor.

So this was Lovino's little brother. They couldn't be any more different, in terms of personality. As soon as Antonio had ran into his friend, the brother had started crying, asking if they were okay, and should he call a doctor or not.

Speaking slowly, he asked the boy, "So, what's your name? Lovino never really told me."

The boy's smile faded a bit, a more pensive look came on his face.

"Feliciano. I shouldn't be surprised, he's never told anyone at the hospital about me, even though he's been here for so long."

Catching the Spaniard's questioning look, he elaborated.

"Lovino has been here for about five years. He has a… a genetic disease. They've been trying to treat it for a while, but there wasn't any breakthrough, until now."

Antonio could only feel shock. Lovino had been stuck in that hospital room for five years? No wonder it looked like a home to the boy! But really, that thought only made him more unhappy. The idea of a sad child Lovino, sitting in that big room all alone, with only doctors and machines, made his chest feel tight.

Clearing his throat, he pressed on. He was learning more about Lovino in the past ten minutes than he had in the past month.

"So, who do you live with? I mean, you said 'we're happy', and Lovino, he, um, he told me about your uncle."

Feliciano cringed. Antonio felt bad for a moment, and then felt a sense of déjà vu.

"Well, our parents died ages ago, and Uncle Romulus was sick. He had the same condition Lovino has." A lump formed in Antonio's throat. It was deadly? "We've been staying with my friend Ludwig and his father. They're very nice, but Lovino doesn't really like it there."

Leaning close to Antonio, he whispered.

"Apparently they eat too many potatoes." He leaned back, giggling.

"But he's happier now," Feliciano sighed, a gentle smile softening his features.

Antonio chuckled, thinking of the crabby looks and tantrums Lovino had shown while Antonio was with him. He spoke, still laughing.

"It's probably because he's out of here. He'd complain about the food, the doctors, _everything_, when we were together."

But Feliciano glanced at him sideways, an odd look on his face. Antonio wasn't sure what to say.

The Italian spoke softly. "No, he was happier after he met you. He called, every few days, and talked about this 'weird Spanish guy who wouldn't stop smiling and didn't know how to drive', but he always sounded relaxed and happy."

Antonio couldn't say anything. He felt something disappear in his chest, leaving him lighter and different; in a good way.

"Really?"

Feliciano giggled again, a grin back on his face.

"Yeah. You're the best friend Lovino's had in years. You've… you've helped him so much. Thanks."

Antonio felt like the world couldn't get any better than this. And then the door in front of them opened, and out walked Lovino.

The boy looked at his brother, and then at Antonio, before he scowled.

"All the idiot did was ask how the at-home meds were working. Come on, Feli, let's get out of this place, I'm hungry."

Pulling his brother's arm, he turned towards Antonio, and set his unwavering golden-brown eyes on Antonio.

"You're coming with us, right... Antonio?"

It was a few minutes later, after Antonio agreed excitedly, that he realized Lovino just said his name for the first time.


End file.
